Pro Football; Eagles Take Ryan Under Wing

By THOMAS GEORGE

Published: September 23, 1990

PHILADELPHIA—
''Hey, Keith!'' Jerome Brown yelled across the Philadelphia Eagles' locker room to Keith Jackson. Jackson was being swamped last Thursday by reporters and cameramen on his first day back from a 50-day, two-game contract holdout.

''Don't talk to 'em, Keith,'' Brown yelled. ''You shoulda heard how they were asking us if you shoulda been here when you weren't here. They called you a traitor. They're dogs.' '' Brown sprinkled obscenities in more advice to Jackson before whispering to those near him: ''Got to keep 'em loose around here, you know? Never know what to expect.''

Once on the practice field, the Eagles were looser than loose. If a player was not in a drill, he forgot that drill. He had fun. He shot the breeze.

Toward the end of practice, the Eagles conducted a passing drill near midfield. But the drill was run across the field, from sideline to sideline, from team bench to team bench. The plays always finished in front of Buddy Ryan, the Eagles' coach, who was standing at the far sideline behind his defense. Are these slap-happy Eagles really 0-2? Is their defense really slipping, having allowed 50 points? Is this Ryan's last season? Is the players' resentment of management ruining the team's Super Bowl bid? Outsiders ask these questions about the Eagles and some revel in their struggle. A boastful, brash bunch is reaping what they sow. ''Put Up or Shut Up,'' read a banner at Veterans Stadium last Sunday. Inside, the Eagles ask the questions, too, and their answers are true to their style:

''There are a lot of good people in Philadelphia,'' said Reggie White, the All-Pro defensive end, ''but we've got a lot of fans who want a championship so bad that they lose it. There's a lot of negative out there. We don't want to get caught up in the negative. We will go out and answer all the questions.''

Ryan added the exclamation point: ''We've outgained both of the teams we've played and we've had some bad calls, but we're ready to go with Keith back. I know every one of these players, know 'em personally. These are my guys. They ain't running from nothing. Being 0-2 would make a lot of teams hide, but not these guys. They're cocky and that's just the way I like it.''

So, the Eagles' answer for losing is the same as for when they are winning. They have been beaten by the Giants by 27-20 and embarrassed by the Phoenix Cardinals by 23-21, but their personalities have not changed and any hint of fear of becoming 0-3 is masked. The Eagles meet the Los Angeles Rams (1-1) today in Anaheim, Calif., the same Rams who snuffed them by 21-7 last season in the National Conference wild-card playoffs. The Eagles answer for the Rams? ''They're in trouble,'' Brown said. ''They cut our money short last year.''

Love or hate the Eagles, there is no denying their mark on the National Football League in their fifth season under Ryan. Before Ryan arrived in 1986, Philadelphia had suffered through four consecutive losing seasons and a 21-31-1 record. His records are 5-10-1, 7-8, 10-6 and 11-5. The Eagles won the N.F.C. East in 1988 and have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, losing in first-round games to the Chicago Bears and the Rams.

Ryan, however, is in the final year of his contract. The Eagles' owner, Norman Braman, has a wait-and-see attitude about renewing Ryan's contract. Ryan said his relationship with Braman is amicable and that ''people are worried about something I'm not worried about.'' Among those ''people'' are his players.

Jackson, the Eagles' All-Pro tight end whose teammates believe could be the difference in being 2-0 instead of 0-2, wanted his contract, worth $500,000 this season, renegotiated. Upon his return to the team, with Ryan sitting next to him, he said: ''I came back for Coach Ryan and for the team. I deeply care about both of them and after talking to Buddy more and more, I couldn't stay out. I heard rumors that there was some conspiracy going on upstairs to get rid of Coach Ryan, and I figured if I come in and we win, there's no way they can get rid of him.''

Randall Cunningham, the quarterback, said that having Jackson back offered him security, especially as a third and fourth option on broken down plays. He said that Ryan meant more.

''Buddy has brought this team from nowhere,'' Cunningham said. ''People on this team know Buddy's situation. He should have a contract. I don't know why we should even be talking about him being fired.''

The Eagles say they want to win for Ryan, and that they respect his leadership and strong support during the 1987 strike. They like the freedom he allows and how he lets their personalities surface.

''In short,'' said Britt Hager, a linebacker, ''we like the way he treats us like professionals, like men. His only discipline is if you don't do your job, you're gone.''

The threat of Ryan's dismissal and the disputes in recent years over contracts involving Cunningham, White and Jackson have caused a void in the management-player relationship, the Eagles players said. Harry Gamble, the Eagles' general manager, denies the players' charges and said there will be ''a time and a place'' when Ryan and management will discuss a contract extension.

'' I think we've tried to be fair and understanding,'' Gamble said. ''There is a commitment here. The commitment of this organization has helped to make our improvement possible.''

But White said: ''If our owner treated us like Eddie DeBartolo treats the 49ers, we wouldn't lose a game. I have nothing against Braman personally, but he's got to learn how to treat the guys with respect, and I'm not just talking about money. If they're not careful, we could become another Minnesota Vikings, with management and players not communicating. We're playing for ourselves and for Buddy. And if Buddy goes, I want out.'' The players met privately last Monday. They talked about press scrutiny potentially driving a wedge between them. They talked about avoiding an 0-3 start. They talked about confidence. They talked about Ryan.

Having Jackson back, the Eagles said, gives them more of the arsenal that made the Eagles a solid, preseason Super Bowl contender. No team, however, has ever reached the Super Bowl after an 0-2 start.

Photos: Although some say coach Buddy Ryan, in the last year of his contract, may be in danger of being dismissed, he gets strong support from his players, including Jerome Brown and Randall Cunningham. (Sal DiMarco Jr. for The New York Times)